Having already received several demos of the Bosch Home Connect technology, we finally got a chance to demo it in a home. The Bosch 800 Series dishwasher with Home Connect not only features advanced smartphone connectivity, but it also remains one of the quietest dishwashers in the U.S. We tested model SHEM78ZH5N, a 24″ stainless steel dishwasher with tons of practical features to take the hassle out of doing dishes.
Great Expectations
My aunt and uncle build homes in South Carolina and utilize premium appliances in their own home. I distinctly remember an evening when my Aunt Barb was doing the dishes. We had just moved there and were staying with them for a spell while our house was being built nearby. She loaded dishes into her dishwasher—never once rinsing them off before inserting the soiled dishes. Having always pre-rinsed my dishes, I was dumbfounded. Her reply was more or less “If you buy an expensive dishwasher, what’s the point of washing the dishes before it does?
I have to agree, and I never forgot it.
Bosch 800 Series Dishwasher Features
The Bosch 800 series 24″ dishwasher costs $1400 and features a lacquered housing with stainless steel control panel and tub. It emits just 42 dB(A) when running, making it whisper quiet. Bosch accomplishes this through the use of dense insulation, grindless food filtration, a quiet motor, and a sound-absorbing base. Honestly, just about everything else in my house makes more noise than the dishwasher…air conditioner, washer & dryer, the kids, our gerbil…
While your typical dishwasher has two racks, Bosch adds a third to this model (as well as their Benchmark series). In this model, it’s sensibly called the Flexible Third Rack. It not only presents a great place to put your silverware without taking up valuable real estate in your main racks, but it also adjusts down far enough to store small cups and mugs as well.
The middle rack also adjusts, giving you 3 height levels, with tines that fold down to make room for larger items. A fold-down side tray also gives you a place to put larger utensils like spatulas or tongs. The bottom rack also features folding tines for increased loading of larger bowls and cookware.
On the front of the Bosch 800 Series dishwasher, a full-color LCD display tells you the remaining time in the wash/dry cycle. It also displays the operating mode and delivers any maintenance reminders.
Integrated Bosch Home Connect
One feature that probably deserves its own area of focus is Bosch Home Connect. For the 800 Series dishwasher, Home Connect does several things. Primarily, it monitors and gives you feedback as to the status of your current cleaning cycle. It also alerts you when you need to perform maintenance (or perhaps add more rinse aid). When launched, the app immediately shows you the status of the dishwasher, actually animating the graphic to represent the cycle or state of the appliance.
The connected smart dishwasher system also stores all your time, language, and desired rinse aid settings (Hey, look, I need to add more rinse aid!).
Home Connect lets you receive notifications when your dishwasher’s cycle is complete. It also can alert you when it runs low on detergent tabs, or—heaven forbid—a leak ever occurs.
Even More Bosch 800 Series Dishwasher Features
Speaking of leaks, Bosch integrates something very helpful into their dishwashers. A float switch below the bottom of the tub rises and cuts off the water supply if water ever leaks into the bottom. This makes this dishwasher not only smart, but one of the safest to operate as well.
Drying Dishes
You may think Bosch doesn’t integrate a dryer into their 800 Series dishwasher, but you’d be wrong. The heating element is located behind the stainless steel tub. Bosch uses something they call CrystalDry technology which transforms moisture into heat to get dishes, including plastics, 60% drier. Combined with a good rinse agent, this dishwasher leaves very little in the way of spots or streaks.
Using the Bosch Home Connect Dishwasher
Our experience with the Bosch SHEM78ZH5N has truly impressed us. This 800 Series Home Connect dishwasher has been flawless since it was installed. Dishes load easily, with lots of options to arrange plates, bowls, utensils, and more. The physical adjustability of the top two racks goes well beyond anything we’ve currently experienced with either GE Profile or Samsung models.
The noise levels on this dishwasher remain so low, you can’t tell the appliance is running unless you really pay attention (or look at the front LCD display or app). Having used plenty of dishwashers over the years, having a truly quiet model makes a huge difference—particularly with a centrally-located kitchen.
The Bosch Home Connect app works as advertised, and I received notifications when the dishwasher completes a cycle or needs anything from me. That includes adding more rinse agent. The app also lets you remote start the dishwasher should you need to. It allows you to choose between Easy and Manual settings for this.
Modes and Settings
The Easy mode lets you choose the type of dishes (glasses/sensitive, mixed load, pots & pans) and then set your cleaning preferences. You can choose between time or energy-efficient, auto optimized, extra silent, extra hygienic, or extra shine. It then gives you the resulting mode selection.
In Manual mode, you get to choose between Programs and Options.
Programs
- Heavy – Best for cleaning items with baked-on food or grease. These dishes would normally require soaking or hand scouring.
- Auto – This is the “smartest” cycle, with the most flexible soil sensing. It’s ideal for mixed dishware and a variety of food soils
- Glass 40ºC – This mode provides more gentle cleaning for sensitive dishes and china and glassware. It uses slightly lower temperatures and the drying phase is extended to utilize a more gentle process.
- Normal – Bosch recommends this mode for daily, regular, or typical use to completely wash a full load of normally soiled dishes.
- Speed 60 – This mode runs for an hour to clean freshly soiled dishes. It reduces cycle time, but still includes drying.
- Rinse – If you want to pre-rinse dishes to avoid potential odors before cleaning, this mode takes care of that. You can place unrinsed dishes within the dishwasher and activate this mode to use less water than you would with hand-rinsing. It also uses very little energy.
Options
- Crystal Dry – This uses an optimized program sequence with a special drying cycle for improved drying for glassware, plates, and plasticware.
- Delicate – By increasing the amount of water used in the rinse cycle and extending the drying phase, this option prevents stains and spots. This mode uses a bit more energy than normal to accomplish this.
- Half Load – With only a few items to wash, this mode saves water, energy, and time. You should also use a bit less detergent when using this mode.
- Sanitize – With a higher temperature clean, this mode disinfects. It’s ideal for disinfecting chopping boards or baby bottles and also improves drying.
We tried most of these modes and found them to be excellent at accomplishing the stated goals. In particular, the pre-rinse program saves you from having to “pre-wash” your dishes, even if you don’t intend to run the dishwasher immediately. For a family of four, there are times when we simply don’t have enough dishes to run a full load in the evening.
The Speed 60 mode also helps when you don’t require as much time to handle a load of dishes that don’t have baked-on food. Finally, the Glass 40ºC mode worked flawlessly when taking care of more delicate glassware and ensuring they didn’t get put away with spots and water stains. For the most part, you won’t go wrong with either the Auto or Normal modes, but Bosch certainly gives you options for ensuring you never have to worry about your dishes again.
The real win, however, in real-world testing has to do with getting everything dry. With prior dishwashers, we got used to removing dripping wet plastic containers from the racks. The choice seemed to fall between “drip or melt”. Bosch’s CrystalDry mode does a great job of drying not only glassware but also our plastic containers as well. So when you open up the dishwasher after the cycle is completed, you can just put away the dishes. Finally.
Conclusion
With modes galore, quiet operation, and a beautiful look, the Bosch 800 Series dishwasher with Home Connect represents the very best in home appliances. This dishwasher not only takes dishwashing to the next level, but it also eliminates all the guesswork. Stack your dishes and let the Smart technology handle the rest.
Isn’t that the way a dishwasher should work in this day and age? We certainly think so.
Get more information about the Bosch 800 Series online.
Also, check out other Bosch Home Connect appliances here.
